I had high hopes for this book. It seemed like it would be really intriguing. But you know, it wasn’t what I was expecting. At all.

Thank you to NetGalley and Regal House Publishing for this ARC. ~I was given this book and made no commitments to leave my opinions, favorable or otherwise~

Dawn, a young woman, with a traumatic challenging recent past where her fiance dies in a motorbike accident, is a domestic cleaner who decides with a photographer friend to set up shots in her clients homes pushing the boundaries of the personal vs what is told in public. The story is told over a week, takes us into Dawn’s mind as she explores her relationships with friends, family and what it is to be so intimate with strangers' homes.

Some vignettes held up from a narrative perspective, some didn’t so well - but overall a 3.5 star book worth reading that could have been brilliant.

Thanks to NetGalley and Regal House Publishing for the ARC.

Coming Clean is about a young woman named Dawn who is recovering from a terrible motorcycle accident. Her fiancé, Terry, was killed in the accident, and Dawn feels guilty. Terry’s mother blames her. After the accident, Dawn started her own cleaning business and lives in a trailer. Her father offers her a job at his bar in Florida; however, Dawn isn’t sure she’s ready to leave. She models for a photography project for her friend Matthew in her clients’ houses. Each shoot pulls back one of Dawn’s layers as she must acknowledge her past in order to decide her future.

It took me a little bit to get into this story; however, by the end of the book I didn’t want to put it down. Dawn was a compelling and flawed character. I didn’t like her at first; it was hard remembering she was so young while learning of her poor decisions. Her friend Matthew is an interesting character as well. I really enjoyed the hope in the ending of the book.

Thank you to the publisher and Net Galley for letting me read an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

"Coming Clean" by Beth Uznis Johnson left me unimpressed and wanting more from its premise. While I had high hopes for this book, I found myself struggling to connect with the story and its characters.

The concept of Dawn, a cleaning lady participating in a photography project, seemed promising. However, the execution fell short. The promised exploration of forgiveness, family, and fresh starts felt superficial and lacking in depth.

The various characters introduced in the book, such as Bridget Riley, Wei Chen, and Robert McIntyre, failed to contribute meaningfully to the main plotline. Their stories felt disconnected and did not add significant value to the overall narrative.

Furthermore, the resolution of Dawn's darkest secret regarding the death of her fiancé was rushed and left me unsatisfied. I had hoped for a more impactful and introspective exploration of her journey.

Overall, "Coming Clean" did not meet my expectations. While reading preferences can vary, I found the book to be lacking in cohesiveness and emotional depth. This review reflects my honest opinion based on my reading experience.

I would like to extend my heartfelt gratitude to NetGalley for graciously providing me with an ARC copy. It is always a pleasure to explore new literary works and share my honest thoughts.

There's a quiet, growing genre out there of using the actual working lives of women - waitressing & cleaning rather than the aspirational, escapist roles - eg. fashion & law, to tell proper tales.

This is very satisfying, complex but not obvious,and ties up its story lines in a steady, unrushed way.

It's made me want to rewatch Maid on Netflix and reread Service by Sarah Gilmartin,, which strikes a similar tone.

This was neither good or bad. Sadly, it was just kind of meh for me. I love voyeur type storylines. This wasn't so much that as it was just odd with not much happening at all. I heard it compared to Lisa Taddeos work. This is nothing like that. To be fair it's writing comes across as literary speculation and maybe this just wasn't the right time for me to read this. I'm sure it will find it's audience and I won't discourage people from reading it.

This was a strange little book about a woman having a hard time coming to terms with her boyfriends desk. So she embarks on a project to invade the privacy of her cleaning clients and trying on their intimate clothing, taking photos etc. I am not sure what she achieved out of this.

Thank you to the author for such an interesting book and to the publishers for providing me with it. It was a fun read from the start till the end

Firstly I'd like to thank Netgalley and the Publisher for the chance to read this e-arc, in return for an honest review.
I was really hopeful with this book, it sounded amazing from the description, funny.
Honestly I couldn't get past 3% my problem? The F-bomb on the very first page, I mean I'm all for the odd swear word/s if they add something to the story, this really didn't in my opinion. This didn't not help when it came to the writing style..it just wasn't for me. I'm sure had I given the book more of a chance I may have found it more interesting, funny and witty.
I know somewhere out there, there is an audience for this book on this occasion it just wasn't me.
I honestly hope this book and the author do really well, even with what is my own opinion.
Happy reading.

Honestly, I don’t think this book was for me. I pushed through hoping I would enjoy it more and just never got to that’s point.

This is a fairly short read and the main female character is incredibly complex. Based on the description and cover I truly thought I would enjoy this. Give it 3 stars solely because it was very well-written and there was so much character development. But, I just personally didn’t enjoy the story.

Thank you for the opportunity to read and review this in advance in exchange for an honest review.

Dawn is a cleaning lady who carries her past trauma around as a defence shield. She thinks she knows her clients and if we're honest, she is not impressed with what she sees.
The book follows Dawn for a week on the job, during this time she is presented with opportunities to see the real people behind the houses and learn about them and more importantly herself.
She is at a crossroads in her life and has a big decision to make about her future.
The concept is fresh and interesting, i loved seeing how Dawn made assumptions on the lives of the people she cleans for based on their home interiors and the contents of their junk drawers (we've all got one, what would yours say about you?)

I found Dawn unlikeable and unrelatable and i just wasn't invested in her story. The last 25% of the book was hardgoing. Overall two stars for me, i did love the concept and i'm fascinated by unconscious bias so there were parts that i found really intersting - i would have liked a bit more content relating to Dawn's assumptions and exploring how her impressions differed (or not) from the actual people.

Coming Clean
by Beth Uznis Johnson
Thank you, Netgalley and the Publisher for the chance to read this e-arc, in return for an honest review. This was just a miss for me. Just not any real point in my opinion.

Lurking into the private life of the people you work for isn’t the best idea, specially if you’re their cleaning lady. The story unfolds in New York where Dawn’s life suddenly turns upside down due to an accident she went through causing the death of her fiancé Terry, thus she finds herself a job where she’ll get access to the secrets of rich families and the bedroom of an old acquaintance.

Slow paced, the book won’t keep you on your toes for the entire read nonetheless, the bits of drama are worth some of the tedious scenes. In addition, Beth Uznis Johnson gives an interesting glimpse into the lives of a diverse group of people and what they hide from the world through the eyes of their cleaning lady.

It’s definitely not a book for everyone, only the new adults might find the story compelling on account of Dawn, who is trying to rediscover herself in life at a young age.

I’m grateful with NetGalley, the author and the publisher for the opportunity of letting me read this before its publication.

I really liked Dawns character but I just couldn’t stay hooked on the book. I found that the story dragged on quite a bit

I had high hopes for this book but it just didn't grab my attention like I had desired it to. Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC. Three stars. Complex character and a unique premise and plot but it just didn't tie together and flow for me.

Rating: 3.75 stars
Pub date: 1/9/24

Coming Clean was a quick read, and overall I enjoyed the story. I found Dawn to be quirky, multi-faceted, and not super predictable, which I liked. I went into this novel not really knowing much about it, and found it to be a book that contains humor, sadness, romance, and family drama.

The one part of the story that felt unfinished to me was the relationship of Terry and Dawn. This could've been developed more. Also, Dawn's actions/mannerisms seem much older to me than the age I believe she's written as.

I enjoyed many of the supporting characters and their unique home situations. I'm not sure this story is very believable, and the ending seemed a little too wrapped up in a bow, but this was a fun read, and a great debut novel by the author.

Thank you to Netgalley and Regal House Publishing for providing me with an eARC of this novel in exchange for my honest review.

I really enjoyed the premise but I thought the writing was kind of weak. I did enjoy the quirks of the homeowners and the specifics of the job, which made the book feel more realistic, but the character relationships were weak.

I was completely intrigued by the concept of this book and started it the second I received it and it didn’t disappoint! The author deftly explored multiple themes including the secrets we keep from ourselves to survive and our deep need for belonging. Dawn was a character with flaws and allowed to make mistakes and suffer the real consequences. But ultimately I’ll take from this book that there is magic in everyday life in the right hands.
Thank you to NetGalley and Regal House Publishing for the opportunity to read an advance copy of Coming Clean! 🧼

The premise for this book caught my eye and I have enjoyed other books centered around cleaners ("The Maid"), so I was excited to read this. The big positive is that the main character is quirky and engaging. However, the pace was a bit slow and I found myself skimming. Recommended if you enjoy quirky characters, and slower paced descriptive novels. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

Funny and provocative, albeit slow moving at times. I definitely wrote down the recipe for Magic and I hope Dawn finds what she’s looking for… thanks to NetGalley for the ARC, excited to see this one hit shelves.